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New laws offer nuclear industry incentives for existing power plant uprates
This year, the U.S. nuclear industry received a much-needed economic boost that could help preserve operating nuclear power plants and incentivize upgrades that extend their lifespan and power output.
Signed into law in 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act offers production tax credits (PTCs) for existing nuclear power plants and either PTCs or investment tax credits (ITCs) for new carbon-free generation. These credits could make power uprates—increasing the maximum power level at which a commercial plant may operate—a much more appealing option for utilities.
J. K. Dickens , M. A. Miller
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 114 | Number 2 | June 1993 | Pages 149-159
Technical Note | doi.org/10.13182/NSE93-A24027
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Twenty-three radionuclides, including isomers, from 168mLu to 180Ta, having half-lives between 7 min and 1.4 yr, produced by photon interactions with a sample of elemental tantalum, were observed in decay gamma-ray data obtained using high-resolution detection systems. Yields of production range over six orders of magnitude. The measured yield data for masses ≥171 were compared with calculated values. Good agreement was obtained for masses ≥174, but for lighter masses, the calculations tend to overestimate the experimental yields by up to a factor of 5. An empirical “rule-of-two” is proposed, governing reduction in measured mass yield for each additional emitted nucleon following (γ,3n) reactions. These results should have practical use not only for present electron accelerator operation but also for shielding calculations needed for future accelerator designs and applications.